Benin City weather in December

In December, Benin City sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 28 mm of rain across 8.6 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Benin City's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Benin City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
28 mm
8.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:45 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
47%
1st clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Benin City is capital city of Edo State, Nigeria.

Density
1,480/km²
people per km²
Founded
1899

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical December day in Benin City reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13223
23223
33223
43223
53223
63223
73223
83223
93223
103223
113223
123223
133223
143222
153222
163222
173222
183222
193322
203322
213322
223322
233322
243322
253322
263322
273322
283322
293322
303322
313322

How December really feels in Benin City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Benin City weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 22°338.911.73.5
Feb33° / 24°5814.711.82.8
Mar32° / 24°14623.8122.5
Apr31° / 24°20525.612.12.6
May31° / 23°25628.712.32.6
Jun29° / 23°29529.312.42.8
Jul28° / 22°29329.912.33.2
Aug28° / 22°26628.312.23.5
Sep29° / 22°30929.2123.0
Oct30° / 23°26329.611.92.8
Nov31° / 23°9318.611.73.4
Dec32° / 22°288.611.64.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45248
55347
65446
75545
85644
95842
105941
116139
126337
136436
146634
156733
166931
177030
187129
197228
207426
217426
227426
237525
247426
257426
267426
277228
287228
297129
307030
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Benin City gets around 28 mm of rain over 8.6 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 27% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
343
442
541
640
739
838
936
1035
1133
1231
1330
1428
1526
1624
1723
1821
1920
2019
2118
2218
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
2917
3017
3117

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 92% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
100156232
201166131
301166230
401266229
501276228
601376227
701386127
801386226
901486225
1002496124
1102496223
1202596123
1302596222
14125106121
15125106121
16126116020
17126126019
18126126118
19126136117
20136146016
21136156015
22136166014
23236175814
24236185813
25237195712
26237205711
27337205710
2833721579
2944721568
3054822548
3154822547

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:386:17
211.76:386:17
311.76:386:18
411.76:396:18
511.66:396:18
611.66:406:19
711.66:406:19
811.66:416:19
911.66:416:20
1011.66:426:20
1111.66:426:21
1211.66:436:21
1311.66:436:21
1411.66:446:22
1511.66:446:22
1611.66:456:23
1711.66:456:23
1811.66:466:24
1911.66:466:24
2011.66:476:24
2111.66:476:25
2211.66:486:25
2311.66:486:26
2411.66:486:26
2511.66:496:27
2611.66:496:27
2711.66:506:28
2811.66:506:28
2911.66:516:29
3011.66:516:29
3111.66:526:30

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.54 kWh/m² to a high of 5.26 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 4.99 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Benin City

In seasonPeak

In December, Benin City sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Benin City's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Benin City sees seasonal dust haze (December–April), heaviest in February.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Benin City?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Benin City for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Benin City in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Benin City sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Benin City in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Benin City peaks around March 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highMar 22UV 12Dec 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Benin City in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Benin City is worst in January — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (August, 38 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 16164 µg/m³Aug 1339 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan166Very unhealthy
Feb147Unhealthy
Mar85Unhealthy
Apr82Unhealthy
May65Unhealthy
Jun53Poor
Jul42Poor
Aug38Poor
Sep47Poor
Oct64Unhealthy
Nov76Unhealthy
Dec148Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Benin City?

Benin City sits at 6.3°N, 5.6°E, 88 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Sapele, 50 km away.

UromiUbiajaWarriOwoOgwashi-Uku

Topography around Benin City

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Benin City.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Benin City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m around an average of 79 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 m.

The land around Benin City is covered by artificial surfaces (87%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 16 km, and trees (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
66 m
16 km
167 m
80 km
420 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Sapele 50 km · Agbor 64 km · Ekpoma 73 km · Uromi 88 km · Ubiaja 91 km · Warri 92 km · Owo 96 km · Ogwashi-Uku 101 km

Nigeria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 13% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,224
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
15.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Muslim 54%other Christian 35%Roman Catholic 11%other 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Benin City (6.3381°, 5.6258°, elevation 88 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).